Legislators Move to Increase UC & CSU Accountability in Long-range Planning

State Legislature Exerts Oversight to Ensure UC & CSU Mitigation of Growth Impacts

SACRAMENTO – Assembly Budget Committee Chair John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) today announced the Assembly Education Finance Budget Subcommittee has approved language to be included as part of the state budget that will increase accountability and public participation in long-range planning for both the University of California and the California State University systems.  Identical language was also approved by the Senate Education Budget Subcommittee.

“With this new language the legislature is creating a significant change in the relationship between local governments and the university system,” said Assemblymember Laird.  “This is about the legislature weighing in on UC’s and CSU’s growth and development, mitigating current and future growth, focusing use of the summer term to enable greater use of existing facilities, and emphasizing the need for UC and CSU to more effectively plan for enrollment increases and the resulting growth pressures.”

The new language aims to “ensure greater legislative oversight over the process used by UC and CSU to prepare and implement” long-range plans.  To achieve that goal, UC and CSU shall provide the Legislature with the following:

• Copies of draft Long Range Development Plans (UC) Physical Master Plans (CSU) before approval by Regents (UC) and Trustees (CSU).
• Explanation and justification of system-wide enrollment projections through at least 2020 by December 1, 2007.
• Use of summer term as a means to accommodate anticipated increases in the number of students with existing classrooms.
• Mitigation of off-campus impacts related to current projects, including reports (by campus) on the status of mitigating off-campus impacts of each capital outlay project as well a list of any monetary payments made by the campus for off-campus mitigation (for impacts for with there is no fair share agreement the University should explain what steps are being take to reach agreement).
• Mitigation of all off-campus impacts related to future projects, including in the case of all funding requests for new capital projects reports on whether the university has reached agreement with appropriate jurisdictions regarding implementation and costs of specific mitigation measures.

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Background on the issue

Development of the “State Budget Supplemental Report Language on Long Range Development Planning” follows a process initiated and led by Assemblymember Laird that began in 2005 with AB 1690, which was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.  AB 1690 initially suggested voluntary contracts between local jurisdictions and the University.  The bill eventually led to Mr. Laird’s request for the Legislative Analyst’s study of UC’s long-range planning process.

Following the release of the Legislative Analyst’s study, Mr. Laird convened a hearing in Sacramento to review the findings of the study.  Following the hearing, Mr. Laird sent UC a two-page letter requesting additional information that would be helpful in guiding the current budget process.  Based on UC’s responses (72 pages, available upon request), Mr. Laird worked to develop the language approved today.

Mr. Laird’s background with town-gown issues

Mr. Laird is a UCSC alumnus and former president of the UCSC Alumni Association.  He served two terms on the Santa Cruz City Council, including two terms as Mayor.  In the time he served on the City Council, a Long Range Development Plan was completed, a ballot measure on the subject was passed, a suit was filed, and at the end of that process a lawsuit settlement was reached.  Mr. Laird has described that process as an unsatisfying one that “led to lengthy and painful community conflict between a city I love and a university that I also love and attended.”